Kellogg's Piasecki Earns 2023-24 Dick Shilts Male Student-Athlete of the Year Honors
Aaron Piasecki, a baseball standout for Kellogg Community College, has been selected as the 2024 Dick Shilts Male Student-Athlete of the Year following a vote by the association's leadership. Now in its fourth year, the Dick Shilts Award annually recognizes one female and one male student-athlete from the MCCAA who excels in their sport, in the classroom and in co-curricular activities.
Piasecki recently capped off a remarkable career at Kellogg CC. The sophomore infielder helped pace the Bruin's season with a slash line of .481/.582/.746 on 244 plate appearances that included 89 hits, 26 doubles, 65 RBI's, 61 runs scored, 42 walks, and six home runs.
Piasecki's 26 doubles led the MCCAA, as did his 244 plate appearances and 135 total bases. His .481 batting average and .582 on-base percentage were second in the MCCAA and his 42 walks placed him third in the association.
The outstanding 2024 campaign earned Piasecki MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Year and 2024 NJCAA DII First Team All-American honors on his way to helping lead the Bruins to a Region XII Championship and World Series berth. In the classroom, Piasecki has earned NJCAA All-Academic Team recognition and has also been named Academic All-MCCAA and Academic All-Conference.
Showcasing his exceptional leadership skills, Piasecki was voted team captain twice by his peers. The standout infielder will go on to play baseball at the NCAA Division I level as he signed an LOI at Central Michigan University for next fall.
Piasecki's success doesn't end on the field or in the classroom, he also gives back to his community. He volunteers at "New Level Sports Ministries" two times weekly, where he noticed that they didn't have their own baseball team. Seeing this, Piasecki went to work, putting together a glove fundraiser, and reaching out to ask for other equipment that the boys may need. Not only did he give the boys new gear, but he also gave them the opportunity to experience the joy of baseball that he gets to experience. He also volunteers with his team at campus community events such as the colleges biggest fundraising event, "The Bruin Open", the colleges welcome week event, "Bruin Blast", the college's Halloween Celebration, "Bruin Boo" where there are 2,500 kids from the Battle Creek community coming to trick-or-treat at the KCC, and with their Lifelong Learning Youth Summer Sport Camps.
Dick Shilts was a longtime Athletic Director at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and was longest serving MCCAA President in association history. During his time in MCCAA leadership, Shilts championed the MCCAA's individual academic awards and helped lead a host of other initiatives across the association.
